Cast On: 2020 Advent Socks #2

I may have already ordered not one but two yarny advent calendars…..sue me. But it really made motivated to keep working through my agirlandherwool advent calendar from Christmas 2020. I really liked how the first advent/scrappy socks turned out so I am casting on another pair.

I decided not to use the full skein/main color in this pair. I’m just diving right into the minis since they are 20 grams and go really far towards making a sock. I split the mini into two 10 gram balls and I will work each sock concurrently to make sure I keep the colors the same.

Depending on how many minis I use, I might even squeak out a third pair? My main goal is to get all the minis knit up before the other calendars show up in November, wish me luck!

Happy Knitting!

Cast On: Green Worsted Hat

My hat streak continues with the last cake of worsted yarn that I have wound up many moons ago. This hat is going to be eloquently called “Green Worsted Hat” as the yarn doesn’t have a colorway name and I’m not feeling creative, lol.

This is very THICK or heavy worsted yarn so I am creating robust fabric. I think I cast on 80 stitches and I’m working on a US 8 needle. The yarn is disappearing quickly so I should get close to using up the whole skein.

Still don’t have a solid plan for this hat other than my growing collection stowed away in my cedar chest. Maybe a gift? Who knows but I know I am not done knitting hats, lol.

Happy Knitting!

Cast On: Volcano Trail

Summer had me itching for a new project aka new cast on. So Iet myself cast on my Volcano Trail that I had been wishfully knitting.

I am just barely past the cast on, lol. But this first chunk will be a stockinette section folded over and seamed to itself for the top edge. So I am holding the first color double with itself. I am excited for the colors I have picked for this project, they are quite eclectic.

First up is some Shibui Knits Staccato in the Raspberry color and next I will add some Spunky Eclectic Spunky Socks in the Wild Child color. My third color is a mystery skein of greenish sock yarn that I got in a mystery box purchase. And I will round out this project with a skein of Mrs Crosby’s Hat Box in the Pansy colorway.

So if those yarn names mean nothing to you, basically the cowl will move from pinks to greens and back to purple thanks to marling. This project promises minimal purling so that is a bonus for this garter loving girl!

Happy Knitting!!

A Second Chaotic Marl

While my needles and project bag were still at hand I did cast on a second Scrappy Marl. I tried to group my tiny scraps into coordinating pairs to use when I hold them double. So far I am not convinced about this project….its reading a bit more “ugly” than “chaotic” to me.

My husband told me to put my OCD brain on hold and wait until I have added all the colors added in. He thinks it will all blend more when I get some other colors added in. He could be right but my sequential and orderly brain just rebels against this, lol.

For sure this hat will go into the gift/donation bin. While I am confident I can make this into a perfectly serviceable hat….I don’t see myself keeping or wearing this one. But I am jazzed about how many tiny balls of scraps are disappearing from my stash!

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Scrappy Marl Hat

A happy Memorial Day to all those in the US. I am taking advantage of the long weekend to cast on a scrappy project I have been dreaming of for a minute. My Scrappy Marl is on the needles and flying along.

This project holds sock yarn double so it is really chewing through scraps. And yes, I am purposely planning my yarns. I am moving from light to dark in a pseudo rainbow. I’m blending purples and reds right now.

So far I am super pleased. It does feel a little small and tight, but I think blocking will do a world of good on this project. It is a lot of super wash yarn so its going to grow. For my sanity I am spit splicing or Russian joining the ends as I add new colors. No way I want to weave in 100 ends on a scrappy project, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: In The Light, Pink Version

As promised after finishing my green In The Light I promptly put a third one on the needles. This will be my pink version and I already can’t put it down.

I chose to go back to the fringed version for this one. I’m starting with a white skein with rainbow speckles from Black Trillium Fibers and then will progress to a Knitted Witt Victory sock skein in pink with rainbow sprinkles and finish up with a OOAK skein from KirbyWirby.

This bright and pink yarn is making feel more spring-like and peppy. I am enjoying the process of this pattern but I think in this case I really want the finished thing more!

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Purple Rain Socks

My sock needles/project bag were getting lonely and cold so I decided to cast on a new pair of toe up vanilla socks after I had finished my Toxic Oreo Vanilla Socks.

I went downstairs to my sock yarn stash and rooted around. Being too lazy to get out my swift and ball winder….I selfishly pulled some already caked sock yarn to start my next project.

This is the KFI Collection Painted Sock I picked up on my accidental yarn crawl a few months back. And this yarn has the bonus of already being split for socks. My plan is to knit toe up vanilla socks with gusset heels and just let the gradient fall where it may.

I haven’t knit with this yarn before and I’m not sure how the guage will work out. These could be shorty socks rather than mid-calf socks. But the great benefit of toe up socks is that you can literally work until you run our of yarn!

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Mom’s Christmas 2021 Hat

Next up in my hat addiction is the yarn my mother specifically picked out to maker her a hat. My last few hats have been worsted but this yarn is DK so I’m having to re-do my numbers. I have tentatively cast on 96 stitches on a US 7 needle.

I really should gauge swatch but I am just going to start the hat and see what comes out. I mean the worst that happens is that I rip back and start again, lol. This yarn is some of the Shepherd’s Mill I picked up on my accidental yarn crawl. It’s a two ply DK with a subtle pink fade/gradient to the colors.

It will be interesting to see how far I get into the color progression before I need to finish the hat.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: Purple Worsted Hat

Now that my arbitrary knitting rules are satisfied with finishing my Toxic Oreo Vanilla Socks I let myself cast on my next worsted beanie.

I snuggled into my bed with my knitting and zoom knit night friends. I plugged away and got the ribbing complete. This yarn is quite a bit thicker than my last worsted skein. It is the 3ply worsted from Shepherds Mill I got on my accidental yarn crawl. So I only cast on 80 stitches to keep the hat coming out oversixed.

This thicker and rounder yarn is creating a much denser fabric than previous hats. This will for SURE be a wind proof hat, lol. But the world needs all kinds of hats so I’m just going with it.

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: In The Light

I was so thrilled with my Into The Light both for how much yarn it used up and how beautifully it turned out that I pulled yarn to make at least two more. And it was now that I realized I was using the wrong name for the project….its actually In The Light, lol.

@atangledyarn84

This version is going to be a green version. I pulled two skeins of Cloudlover Fiber sock yarn that I bought literally before Jellybean was born, so six years ago! They are the Mag Mell and Mojito colorways are going to be my beginning and end colors. To pull this project together I chose a golden skein of One Twisted Tree sock yarn in the Forest Floor colorway. One Twisted Tree is no longer dying so this is a special skein for me.

For this go around with the pattern I am going to do the plain version instead of the fringed version I did the first time. I am chugging through the first color section. Holding these highly variegated yarn double really smooths the colors out and makes a nicely evenly colored fabric.

I’m pretty excited to get to the next color to see how things blend! Happy Knitting!!